Noncitizen Details Ease of Voting in California Amid Fraud Bust
A green card holder charged in the state's largest voter fraud bust described a simple process at a polling place where he was not informed of his ineligibility to vote.
One of the 28 noncitizens charged in a federal voter fraud investigation in California has described how he was able to cast a ballot despite not being a U.S. citizen. Kamlesh Shah, a 67-year-old green card holder, stated that he registered and voted on Election Day in November 2024 without being informed of his ineligibility.
"No, nobody told me," Shah told KCRA. "See, that’s very confusing because when I went there, the office there — the election officer over there — didn’t say anything about it."
Shah, an Indian national, reportedly registered to vote on the day of the election and cast a vote at a community center polling place. According to the Department of Justice, all 28 individuals charged are lawful permanent residents who are not U.S. citizens and are therefore prohibited from voting in U.S. elections.
The federal operation, dubbed "Operation Protect the Vote," resulted in charges against 28 noncitizens for allegedly making false statements on naturalization paperwork or illegally registering to vote. Prosecutors stated that this number represents what they could charge in a week and does not indicate the total number of noncitizen voters in California.
Among those charged was Alexander Muñoz, 72, a Belizean national residing in the City of Commerce. Authorities allege Muñoz fraudulently registered to vote in September 2019 and subsequently voted in the 2020, 2022, and 2024 U.S. elections. Another individual, José Probitsado Amaro, 51, a citizen of the Philippines living in National City, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
First Acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli commented on X (formerly Twitter) that the investigation is ongoing and that the number of arrests does not reflect the total extent of potential noncitizen voting.
This bust follows a directive from the Justice Department last week, which ordered California officials to review a list of approximately 20,000 individuals identified as likely noncitizens on the state's voter rolls. California Secretary of State Shirley Weber reportedly refused to comply with the demand, citing concerns about the methodology and potential threats to voters' rights.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded to the news by stating that voter fraud is illegal and rare, characterizing the 28 individuals as isolated cases. He asserted that such incidents represent a small fraction of all registered voters, suggesting that widespread voter fraud is not occurring.